The Global Monitoring Center (GMC) calls on the United Nations Security Council to uphold international law, preserve the UN-led decolonization process in Western Sahara, and safeguard the Sahrawi people’s inalienable right to self-determination through a free and genuine referendum.
GMC is deeply concerned that the United States circulated a draft resolution on the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) which risks moving the Security Council toward a predetermined political framework. Any approach that effectively requires the Sahrawi people to accept a single political outcome, rather than allowing them to freely determine their future, would undermine the principle of self-determination at the heart of the Territory’s decolonization process.
Western Sahara, as the last colony in Africa, remains on the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories. Security Council Resolution 690 (1991) established MINURSO in support of the UN-led process for a referendum on self-determination of the Sahrawi people under occupation for the past 50 years. In this context, GMC urges Council members to consider the current draft in the context of all relevant Security Council and General Assembly resolutions, rather than treating one recent resolution as a replacement for the wider legal and institutional framework. Altering MINURSO’s foundations to advance a predetermined outcome risks weakening the credibility of the United Nations’ longstanding commitment to a peaceful and lawful resolution.
A Dangerous Precedent for the UN Decolonization Process
The issue extends beyond Western Sahara. If a political option is imposed on a people whose right to self-determination remains unresolved, it risks setting a precedent that weakens the international decolonization framework and undermines confidence in the consistent application of international law for all Non-Self-Governing Territories.
International law is clear and must be followed. It cannot be treated as binding in one dispute and set aside in another because a particular political outcome is viewed as more convenient. Disregarding the right to self-determination would risk deepening mistrust, weakening the legitimacy of the UN-led process, and creating conditions for further tension and instability throughout the region and beyond.
The Security Council Must Preserve the Referendum Framework
GMC urges all Security Council members to ensure that the renewal of MINURSO preserves the foundations of the UN-led peace process and does not prejudge the final status of Western Sahara. Council members should support a lawful, transparent and credible process that enables the Sahrawi people to determine their political future freely, including through the referendum framework for which MINURSO was established.
GMC therefore urges Security Council members to review the draft carefully, preserve the relevant UN resolutions and the original purpose of MINURSO, and reject any approach that makes the exercise of self-determination conditional on accepting a predetermined outcome in violation of international law. The Security Council as a whole should remain committed to a lawful, credible, transparent and impartial process that safeguards the Sahrawi people’s right to determine their future freely and protects the integrity of the United Nations decolonization process.
ABOUT GLOBAL MONITORING CENTER
Global Monitoring Center, Inc. is an independent policy and monitoring organization committed to fact-based analysis,
impartial investigation, and accountability in international affairs.
The Chrysler Building | 405 Lexington Avenue, 26th Floor | New York, NY 10174
info@globalmonitoringcenter.org | +1 (212) 810-2041
